Tears, laughter, magical quality

Press, 13 December 1982, Page 16

Tears, laughter, magical quality

hans petrovic

E.T. — Tne extra-terrestrial Directed by Steven Spielberg Written by Melissa Mathison This year’s good-news movie, “E.T. — The Extraterrestrial'' (Savoy), looks as if it will be here for a long time. Only two months ago, I was bemoaning the fact that “Pixote." which is definitely another of the best 'films of 1982. was such a devastatingly brutal, bad-news film about the degradation of children in Brazil. Why this absolute aboutface from last year. I asked, when "Chariots of Fire" had been the best film and. hopefully, would provide the advent of a new age of goodnews movies. . Rest assured, the right film has come along just in time. "E.T." contains no violence, a host of appealing characters, plenty of humour and whimsy, and such goodwilled pathos that no person, no matter the age or sex. need feel ashamed of shedding a tear or two. Indeed, you don't have to wait for a replay of "Captains Courageous'' on TV to be able to shed a manly tear. With a delightful script by Melissa (“The Black Stallion”) Mathison, “E.T." tells us what happens when an alien spaceship has to leave Earth suddenly, leaving behind one of its crew. The creature, E.T., is found by a 10-year-old boy, Elliott (I doubt that it is coincidence that his name starts and ends with an “e” and a "t”) who befriends him. Soon, his brother and younger sister are in on the secret and they shelter E.T. in their home, become good friends and learn that he is of a higher intelligence than

the average gremlin you may just happen to find in your backyard. The creature learns something of earthly ways but soon begins to suffer from deteriorating health and a yearning to return home — which makes up the drama of the last third of the film. It is often the sense of wonderment of E.T. as he studies these curious earthly creatures — and vice versa — which gives this film its magical quality. This sense of wonder starts, however, with the first scenes in a tall dark forest of redwoods and firs, followed by views of the inside of the spaceship, with its wierd vegetation, mushrooms and coloured, dripping things, that w’ould have been an ideal setting for 'Bambi. Thumper and other Disney creations. One cannot help but feel that Steven Spielberg may turn out to be the rightful heir to the legacy of the magic kingdom built by Walt Disney during the previous two generations. Besides the polystyrene figure of E.T., from which Spielberg manages to evoke much emotion, he also proves to have a master hand with his child actors. Henry Thomas, as young Elliott, runs through the gamut of emotions with such

ease that he helps to suspend the disbelief of the audience: while his bossy, seven-year-old sister is played with winning authority by Drew Barrymore (John's granddaughter): and Robert McNaughton is equally convincing as the older, but not wiser 15-year-old brother. So much has already been written about "E.T." that there is little point in describing more. But I cannot help but mention such delightfully humorous scenes as the sister’s and other brother's first close encounter with the creature: E.T. hiding among the stuffed animals in the wardrobe; his drunken scene and the resultant. release of the frogs at school; E.T. dressed up with wig, hat and bracelets: and Halloween when E.T. meets Yoda. “E.T." is one of those truly enjoyable films where I really wonder about the people who cannot accept it at face value. It is true that Spielberg has developed as a fine master of the art of manipulating his audience. This may disturb some people but, to me. it is the sign of an exemplary film-maker who knows what the people want and how to give it to them. To try to intellectualise about a film like “E.T.” is also completely missing the point. It is like trying to ascertain the wonderment of a big, colourful bubble by sticking a pin into it to see what is inside. “E.T." may be vacuous but stjll presents a beautifully constructed whole. I can only recommend that people of all ages go and see "E.T." — at least once.